Introducing the Office of Scholar Development

Oklahoma State University students interested in applying for scholarships or research opportunities need to know about the Office of Scholar Development. Housed in Stillwater, it provides assistance and advice to all OSU students–Tulsa-based and transfer-students included. They have recently begun to reach out to Tulsa campus, so I thought it might be useful to say a few words about the office and some upcoming competitions.

The Office is run by Jessica Roark (jessica.roark@okstate.edu) and tasked with assisting students with their research and post-graduate goals. They can help you

identify undergraduate research opportunities at OSU

identify scholarships to offset tuition at OSU or beyond

write those scholarship applications

They offer assistance and practical tools for maximizing your application’s impact. Feel free to visit their website: http://scholardevelopment.okstate.edu/ or stop by their offices on the Stillwater campus (334 Student Union; 405.744.7313).

Some high-profile scholarships are due soon, and the office would like to work with any students interested in applying. Here’s a list and copies of the application instructions (click on the title to get the instructions). The first two are the most apropos for AMST students:

Harry S Truman Scholarship
Created by Congress for those who intend to pursue careers in public service, defined as “Employment in government at any level, uniformed services, public-interest organizations, nongovernmental research and/or educational organizations, public and private schools, and public service oriented non-profit organizations such as those whose primary purposes are to help needy or disadvantaged persons or to protect the environment.” This $30,000 scholarship is for current juniors who have a good GPA and plans to attend graduate school in the areas above. For additional information, please visit www.truman.gov.

Morris K. and Steward L. Udall ScholarshipCreated by Congress to honor Congressman Morris K. Udall and later to include Stewart L. Udall and to award students with career aspirations related to the environment and sustainability. The $7,000 award is also available to Native American and Alaska Native students who intend to pursue careers in native health care or tribal public health policy. This scholarship is for current sophomores or juniors who have a good GPA and plans to attend graduate school in the areas above. For additional information, please visit udall.gov.

Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Created by Congress to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater and to encourage excellence in the areas of science, engineering, mathematics, and computer science. This $7,500 scholarship is for current sophomores or juniors who have a high GPA (generally 3.80 or higher) and plans to attend graduate school in the areas above. This award is particularly for those students who have a strong record of undergraduate research in one of the fields above as demonstrated by ongoing/completed projects, reports, presentations, publications, etc. For additional information, please visit goldwaterscholars.scholarsapply.org.